Matt Hancock: A quick guide to the headline-making MP

Matt Hancock has been known as everything from health secretary during the Covid pandemic to a contestant on I'm A Celebrity. Here's what you need to know.

He was in charge of the UK's health response to Covid

Hancock was leading the government's health department when the pandemic hit - and was tasked with overseeing restrictions such as lockdowns and social distancing. He became a familiar face from television updates on things like infection rates, public safety and the vaccine rollout.

He said the UK's pandemic preparation was "completely wrong"

Appearing at the Covid Inquiry, which is looking to learn lessons about the official response, Hancock said plans for dealing with a pandemic focussed too much on handling the potential dead, rather than stopping the virus taking hold.

His WhatsApp messages were leaked

Journalist Isabel Oakeshott was given access to Hancock's private messages when she helped him write a book about the pandemic, then shared them with the Daily Telegraph. Some of the messages were very frank.

He was caught kissing a colleague on CCTV

Security camera images, taken from his office during the pandemic, showed him breaking social distancing rules with his political aide and university friend Gina Coladangelo. Splashed across the Sun newspaper in June 2021, they led to Hancock quitting as health secretary. Hancock later said: "I broke rules because I fell in love."

He went on I'm A Celeb

Hancock donated 3% of his fee for taking part in the show to charity

Hancock came third in the reality TV contest - where he ate camel penis and a cow's anus - but was suspended as a Tory MP for doing so. He said he went on the show to raise awareness about dyslexia.

He said he won't stand as an MP in the next election

Before becoming an MP, Hancock worked for his family's computer software business and as an economist for the Bank of England. He has represented West Suffolk since 2010. From November 2022 onwards, Hancock has been sitting as an independent - but, after the next election, he said he wants to leave Parliament to find "new ways to reach people".

Hancock has three children

He has a daughter and two sons with Martha Hoyer Millar, who he met while studying at Oxford University. The youngest was born in 2013.

He trained as a jockey

In 2012, he won a charity horse race after training for three months, losing two stone in the process. He was nicknamed "Action Matt" by the press, with regular photos of him jogging and swimming.